Method and apparatus for creation of global network overlay with global parameters defining an end-to-end network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10110483-B2
Application number	US-201615073931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2016
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a virtual controller operating at a network device, global parameters for a plurality of virtual machines located in a first network site and in communication with a second network site through a switch, converting at the virtual controller, the global parameters into global overlay network parameters, and transmitting the global overlay network parameters to the switch for use in automatically creating a global network overlay. The global overlay network parameters define an end-to-end network extending from the virtual machines in the first network site to a plurality of virtual machines in the second network site. An apparatus and logic are also disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving at a virtual controller operating at a network device, global parameters for a plurality of virtual machines located in a first network site and in communication with a second network site through a switch;
converting at the virtual controller, said global parameters into global overlay network parameters; and
transmitting said global overlay network parameters to the switch for use in automatically creating a global network overlay;
wherein said global overlay network parameters define an end-to-end network extending from said plurality of virtual machines in said first network site to a plurality of virtual machines in said second network site; and
wherein said global parameters comprise a tenant and domain for each of said plurality of virtual machines and converting said global parameters into said global overlay network parameters comprises converting the tenant into a route-target and the domain into a virtual network interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual controller comprises a virtual machine manager network plugin.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising pulling said global parameters and virtual network information comprising a virtual local area network and a virtual network interface associated with one of the virtual machines from a database upon identifying a change in the virtual machine at the network device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein anycast gateway information is provided to the switch by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server for use in setting anycast gateway parameters.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically creating said global network overlay comprises automatically creating a data plane and a control plane for said global network overlay.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said global network overlay comprises a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN).

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said global parameters are received from a server administrator.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a first interface for receiving global parameters for a plurality of virtual machines located in a first network site;
a processor for converting at a virtual controller, said global parameters into global overlay network parameters;
a second interface for transmitting said global overlay network parameters to a switch for use in automatically creating a global network overlay; and
memory for storing said global parameters;
wherein said global overlay network parameters define an end-to-end network extending from said plurality of virtual machines in said first network site to a plurality of virtual machines in a second network site; and
wherein said global parameters comprise a tenant and domain for each of said plurality of virtual machines and converting said global parameters into said global overlay network parameters comprises converting the tenant into a route-target and the domain into a virtual network interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the virtual controller comprises a virtual machine manager network plugin.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured for pulling said global parameters and virtual network information comprising a virtual local area network and a virtual network interface associated with one of the virtual machines from said memory upon identifying a change in the virtual machine.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said global parameters are defined by a server administrator.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein automatically creating said global network overlay comprises automatically creating a data plane and a control plane for said global network overlay.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein anycast gateway information is provided to the switch by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server for use in setting anycast gateway parameters.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said global network overlay comprises a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN).

15. One or more non-transitory computer readable media encoding logic for execution by a processor and when executed operable to:
process at a virtual controller, global parameters received for a plurality of virtual machines located in a first network site;
convert said global parameters into global overlay network parameters; and
transmit said global overlay network parameters to a switch for use in automatically creating a global network overlay;
wherein said global overlay network parameters define an end-to-end network extending from said plurality of virtual machines in said first network site to a plurality of virtual machines in a second network site; and
wherein said global parameters comprise a tenant and domain for each of said plurality of virtual machines and converting said global parameters into said global overlay network parameters comprises converting the tenant into a route-target and the domain into a virtual network interface.

16. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 further operable to pull said global parameters and virtual network information comprising a virtual local area network and a virtual network interface associated with one of the virtual machines from a database upon identifying a change in the virtual machine.

17. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein anycast gateway information is provided to the switch by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server for use in setting anycast gateway parameters.

18. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein automatically creating said global network overlay comprises automatically creating a data plane and a control plane for said global network overlay.

19. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein said global network overlay comprises a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN).

20. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 wherein said global parameters are received from a server administrator.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Behringer Michael H
• Bellagamba Patrice

Classifications

• H04L45/64 Primary

  using an overlay routing layer · CPC title

• H04L12/4641

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title